230 BERTHA'S VISIT TO HER 



" Oh no," said he, " it has long existed in 

 tradition, and is alluded to in one of the Druid's 

 odes in Caractacus. 



Hail, thou harp of Phrygian frame ! 



In years of yore that Cambria bore 

 From Wroy's sepulchral flame ; 



With ancient Brute, to Britain's shore, 

 The mighty minstrel came." 



I asked then if there were any traces of the 

 Eastern languages amongst us, besides the few 

 detached words he had once mentioned to me ; 

 though I thought there was but little chance that 

 any could have been preserved in a country 

 where so many nations had successively settled. 



" Yes," said he, "a celebrated antiquary has 

 proved that there is really a strong resemblance 

 between the Irish language and the Hebrew, 

 which is considered the original, or first of all 

 languages. In the Welsh also, or British, which 

 is of the same nature as the Irish, many words 

 appear to be of Eastern origin ; and a gentleman 

 of Bristol having lately collected the common 

 old British names of the indigenous plants, has 

 found several of them to be in sound and sense 

 pure Hebrew." 



" Pray, uncle, what is the meaning of the word 

 Druid would not that throw some light on the 

 subject ?" 



" It is impossible," he said, " now to deter- 

 mine its original meaning ; and indeed the deri- 



